Turkey Wants to Use S-400 Missiles to ”Shield the Aegean”

Turkey will reportedly use the Russian-made S-400 missiles, which it intends to purchase from Moscow, to ”shield the Aegean” from the Greek Air Force. This plan is described in a report which appeared in Turkey’s Milliyet newspaper last week.

According to the Turkish report, Ankara plans to locate the missiles in several areas. They will be stationed near the country’s capital, on the coast of the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, on the Aegean coast, on the Mediterranean coast and on the southeast border of Turkey.

Regarding the Aegean coast, Milliyet notes that the three most possible locations for the missiles to be located are Izmir, the Dardanelles, or the region of Mougla.

The report says that the missiles will shield Turkey from every neighboring country, as it can spot and record every movement in the air at a distance of up to 600 kilometers (373 miles).

It is well-known that the United States strongly opposes Ankara’s plans to obtain the Russian missile system.

Recently, US Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation to reshape American defense strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to the new legislation, Washington plans to impede the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey, as long as Ankara continues with plans to purchase the S-400 air defense system from the Russian Federation, a purchase that would be sanctionable under US law.